


Breaking the Rules

by aristh_rayray



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Counterculture, Fluff, M/M, Protectiveness, Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 21:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2888705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aristh_rayray/pseuds/aristh_rayray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a little fluff Mertil/Gafinilan fic for strategicgoat for Animorphs Secret Santa 2014. Gafinilan, the gruff protector, Mertil the little cutie. They're gonna break the rules, but at least they have each other!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking the Rules

<Mertil! Iscar! Elmand!> Allifrin roared, punctuating each of the young Aristh’s names with a terrifying pause. <You think you’ll survive tail-to-tail combat with moves like that?>

Mertil bowed his head, his tail hanging low.

<Pathetic, though not a surprise, I don’t know what they were thinking, letting a child as soft as you into the Academy. You’ll never be a warrior.>

The Prince stormed out the room, leaving the small combat class aimlessly standing. Two of the star pupils were standing the corner; their eyes gleaming in a way that Mertil just knew meant that he was the subject of a private, mocking, chat. Slumping out the class, he quickly ran back to his quarters as soon as he was out of the door, praying that his new friend Gafinilan would be there. He should be, Mertil’s class had only been held back due to poor performance.

<What’s wrong?> Gafinilan asked, as soon as Mertil ran in the door. He had always been one to avoid the stiff upper lip mentality that they were taught to channel. Never let an emotional weakness show, they were told, it will only be exploited…and an emotional bond past respect was definitely a weakness.

<Oh Gaf,> Mertil sighed <I quit. I’ve had it. I knew I couldn’t make it here. I can’t morph, I’ll never be in the intelligence unit. I can’t fight, I’ll never be a warrior. What’s the point? I should have listened to my Mother, gone into biology. I’m soft like a girl anyway…apparently.> He let it all spill out, knowing Gafinilan wouldn’t judge him for letting his emotions out.

<Look, Mer, I may have only known you for a short time, but I feel like I know you pretty well-> Gafinilan stopped, as if what he had to say was embarrassing, he struggled to continue. <You have a warrior’s heart. Your body may struggle to keep up, but your heart is there. We just have to find what you’re good at.> He stuttered at the word body, but kept on, moving towards his friend and putting his hand on Mertil’s arm, for comfort, furtively glancing to the open entrance to be sure no one could see. Physical contact of that type was strictly forbidden.

Mertil felt a shiver go from his arm to the tip of his tail, his brain feeling slightly cloudy all of a sudden. This was the second time he had felt out of sorts in this way, the first being when he first entered his quarters at the Academy. He hadn’t been watching where he was going, so excited to see the place he would be living for the foreseeable future, where he would finally become a warrior. Crashing legs-first into his new suitemate was not his desired first action, but as they both fell to the floor he had locked all four eyes onto the new andalite and suddenly had forgotten how to speak, he couldn’t even apologise for his lack of discipline, for running in the halls. Despite his gruff demeanour and intimidating size, Gafinilan hadn’t reacted with anger, or even a warriors’ reserved disdain, but he had laughed. His deep, growling chuckle was infectious and soon both of them were rolling on the floor, laughing, their tails still slightly entwined in a way that wasn’t entirely appropriate for two andalites who had just met, especially two arisths.

<You’re just being nice, Gaf. You know as well as I do that I’ve been failing every test since I got here. They’re going to kick me out soon.>

<I won’t let them. They would be losing an amazing aristh, Mer, and I won’t let that happen. As much as I hate their backwards customs and opinions sometimes, I love our homeworld and it needs andalites like you to protect it.> Gafinilan look around furtively again, although their conversation was private, he still felt like his somewhat ‘modern’ opinions could be heard, could trigger some sort of investigation into him. He didn’t want to be kicked out of the Academy for being a radical. He would never be free again with that on his record. <Listen, I’ll help you, we’ll train. We can get up a few hours early, train every morning before morning ritual.>

Mertil tried not to look shocked at his friend’s suggestion. Training before the ritual? He didn’t want Gafinilan to think he was a traditional thinker, but such shocking suggestions still took him aback. He hadn’t been into the counterculture until they had met and he was still having his opinions challenged every day, he still had so much to think about, to learn.

<They’ll catch us, we’ll get in trouble. You know we aren’t allowed to train without an instructor> Mertil went for the safer excuse.

<They won’t, but I wouldn’t care if they did. You’re my friend.> He paused before the word friend, as if he was about to say something else. His hand was still on Mertil’s arm, but he took a step closer, their faces only inches apart. <You can’t leave. I->. He stopped again, his voice had a tremor, an uncertainty, that Mertil had never heard before. <I can’t lose you.>

That feeling struck again, Mertil’s body felt like it was tingling all over. He couldn’t focus on anything around him but he saw his friend’s face. Friend? He was about to pull away, embarrassed at how he was sure his body had reacted when Gafinilan bowed his head forward, touching his forehead against Mertil’s. Not like a friend, more like…how he saw his parents together.

Gafinilan wasn’t his shorm, he was something else. Contact rules be damned, he reached up his hand and touched his companion’s face, leaning back into him. Gaf was right, rules were meant to be broken.


End file.
